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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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Motorists who use the Pango mobile app to pay at parking meters in Scranton will get reimbursed for any inadvertent overcharges since Sept. 1, the new operator of the city’s parking system said.
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Because of his line of work, the retired cemetery superintendent had too often witnessed the opposite of survival.

“The opposite of surviving was always seen at my former occupation. The opposite is death,” the 72-year-old Dunmore man said, while speaking and laughing through a device covering a golf-ball-size hole in his neck.

Mr. Lalley, who previously had his voice box removed because of cancer, could laugh because he knows he’s cheated death more than a few times.

A week after heart surgery, Mr. Lalley sat fully dressed in a La-Z-Boy inside his room at Mercy Hospital. He reminisced about life and chatted about his three children (whom he called his late wife’s greatest gifts to him) and grandchildren, all of whom were understandably nervous about the latest operation.

“You have to have faith,” Mr. Lalley said. “That’s half the battle. I didn’t have any doubt that I would be OK. But, don’t confuse doubt with a little bit of fear because everybody, I don’t care who they are, has fear. It’s human nature.”

Rock-n-roll surgery

Anesthetized as he lay on the operating table, Mr. Lalley was unaware of the classic rock music blaring from a surround sound system inside the room.

Five men and two women – who would later be joined by three others – swayed to “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “Invisible Touch,” while they also traded remarks and discussed current events.

The room, of course, was no ordinary place. The surgeon was also far from ordinary.

Considered one of the preeminent heart surgeons in the country, Dr. Lear Von Koch – pronounced “Kuck” – approached Mr. Lalley in much the same manner he had prepped and performed open-heart operations on nearly 9,000 others who have lain before him on the surgery table.

“The atmosphere must be this way. You don’t want any rookies in the room, there is too much of a learning curve here,” Dr. Koch said, standing over Mr. Lalley as if the patient were a canvas and he were Michelangelo.

Dr. Koch was firmly convinced Mr. Lalley would be just fine, despite already suffering from cancer and having a laryngectomy.

“What this patient has going for him is that he’s kept himself in good shape, he has been very active,” Dr. Koch said. “You can tell he was a smoker, which doesn’t help, but other than that he’s done well.”

When Mr. Lalley emerged from the surgery, he admitted to being unaware of the St. Elsewhere-like atmosphere inside the operating room.

“No, I wasn’t aware of it but I trust Dr. Koch and his team. They are incredible. The best,” he said.

Mr. Lalley said he was determined to live, which helped to make the operation successful. “You gotta have desire,” he said. “It’s easy to just lay down, but I’m not that type.”

Dr. Koch agreed that having a desire was important.

He said it is also important that everyone live as active a life as possible. “(Mr. Lalley) is an active person, that is obvious from looking at him and seeing how he responded,” Dr. Koch said, during the surgery.

“Americans, though, are lazy. That’s a matter of fact. We watch too much television, we love the elevator as opposed to the stairs and we eat too much fast food. Look at the French.

“What the French do wrong is they smoke, but, otherwise they drink wine, which is really good for you, and they walk a lot and they ride bikes. It’s called the French Paradox, but we can do better.”

Take care of yourself

While holding up five fingers (which he admits is a misnomer because he has as many as seven steps to healthy living), Dr. Koch listed the things he said must be done to limit chances of heart disease or a heart attack.

“Don’t smoke, know your blood pressure, get lean, check your cholesterol, get regular examinations, if there are other things wrong, such as bad teeth or gum disease, get it taken care of, and, avoid elevators.”

The ideal blood pressure, Dr. Koch said, should be 100 over 60. “The American Heart Association says the high number should be 140 or less while the low number should be less than 90,” he said.

“You want your cholesterol level to be 210 or 220. Most importantly, you have to do some daily exercise, even if it’s just a brisk walk. If you can get your heart rate up every day you’re better off. Find reasons to climb stairs and do something. Be active.”

Following the more than five-hour surgery on Mr. Lalley, Dr. Koch said it was lunch time.

Approaching the hospital cafeteria, Dr. Koch’s assistant, James Yi, made it a point to caution everyone as to where Dr. Koch prefers to sit. Mr. Yi also warned that his boss may also be critical of what’s on everyone’s plate.

“Have some soup, something healthy,” Mr. Yi, a perfusionist, said.

Dr. Koch arrived with a tuna sandwich and a side of chips. “Eat up,” he said. “Eat healthy.”